1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electrical wiring enclosures, and particularly to electrical wiring boxes suitable for use with ceiling fans.
2. Technical Background
Electrical boxes are used to mount electrical wiring devices of various types, usually with the electrical wiring and connectors enclosed therein. For example, electrical boxes are often used to mount and secure lighting fixtures. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, one type of electrical box is known as a ceiling box. As the name suggests, a ceiling box is typically fixed to a truss, joist or other such structural support member and accommodates lighting fixtures, fans, etc. that extend from the ceiling.
Related art ceiling boxes may be formed using metallic materials or, more frequently, from resinous plastic materials, which are relatively inexpensive. The strength and stability of a ceiling box is not an issue when the lighting fixture is for a simple overhead light bulb. However, the loads have increased over the years as ceiling fans, chandeliers and/or other relatively ornate lighting fixtures became more common place. Ceiling fans may be problematic, from a static loading point of view, because they typically include a relatively large and heavy motor. Of course, many ceiling fans are also equipped with lighting fixtures, further exacerbating the static loading issue. In addition, ceiling fans also raise dynamic loading considerations. Dynamic loading comes into play by virtue of the rotation of the fan. What is needed, therefore, is a ceiling fan box having the structural strength and stability to accommodate the relatively large static and dynamic loads represented by lighting fixtures and ceiling fans currently being employed in the construction industries.
Assuming that the ceiling box has adequate strength and stability, another issue that often comes into play relates to the installation process itself. After the rough-in phase of construction, for example, the related art ceiling box is mounted to the ceiling joist by inserting a fastener into an aperture disposed therein. Related art boxes typically include a lead box for storing the fasteners. Once the ceiling box is mounted, electrical wiring must be inserted through an opening in the lead box. In many cases, the installer removes the fasteners from the lead box and sets them aside because they inhibit the process of pulling the wiring down through the opening and into the lead box. After the process is completed, the exposed wiring is stuffed back into the lead box for storage and a tradesperson places sheetrock over the partially installed ceiling box. Unfortunately, the fasteners that came with the ceiling box are often misplaced and lost.
After sheetrock installation is completed, a tradesperson uses a roto-zip tool to cut away the portion of the sheet rock that is covering the ceiling box. After the dry-wall is finished and painted, an installer returns to the site to finish the installation of the ceiling fan. At this point, the whereabouts of the proper fasteners required to finish the task is unknown. The installer is forced to find properly sized fasteners to complete the job. What is needed is an electrical box that includes prepackaged fasteners to simplify the installation task.
In one approach that has been considered, an electrical box is sold with a fastener holder, such as a flexible plastic bag with fixture mounting screws temporarily secured therein. In practice, a box mounting screw is inserted completely through the plastic bag to temporarily secure the electrical box and plastic bag to the joist. The fixture mounting screws can then be removed from the plastic bag and can be used to further fix the electrical box and fixture to the joist. However, this approach has drawbacks. During the “roto-zip” portion of the installation process, the tool may strike the holding bag, causing the contents to spill out when the sheet rock is removed.
In a similar approach, the electrical box includes integrally formed fastener towers that extend from the box itself. These towers typically hold the fasteners in by way of friction fit. Unfortunately, this approach has disadvantages that are similar to the drawback referred to above. These projections are often hit by the roto-zip tool, damaging either the tool, the fastener tower, or both.
In yet another approach that has been considered, the box manufacturer supplies the fixture mounting screws in a separate container. Of course, this approach does not solve the problems previously articulated because the container itself may become separated from the ceiling box during one of the stages of installation. Furthermore, the fastener container represents an additional item that must be manufactured, increasing costs. Ultimately, the fastener container will be thrown into the trash after usage. In a word, the use of a separate container is wasteful.
What is needed, therefore, is a ceiling box that includes a means for storing fasteners within the box itself during the various stages of installation. What is needed is an intermediate portion of the box, separate from the wiring storage area, to thereby eliminate the drawbacks associated with related art boxes. The intermediate storage area should secure the fasteners therein such that they cannot be accidentally separated from the ceiling box and, at the same time, be easily removed when needed.